File wrapper or folder



April 18, 1939.v M. GREEN FILE WRAPPER OR FOLDER Filed June 24, 1937INVENTOR- /Zar reen/ TTORNEY Patented pr. 18, 1939 UNITED STTES rArsNTorifice 2 Claims,

This invention relates to folders or file wrappers usually employed forholding documents, letters or other papers, and particularly those inwhich the contents of the folder are adapted to be secured in place inthe folder by paper fasteners or similar devices.

One of the objections inherent in files of this character at the presenttime is that the fastening devices employed for holding the papers inplace usually present a head or other fastener element on the outsideface of the folder. Such a projecting element not only interferes withthe insertion of the folder in a crowded iile cabinet, but often damagesadjacent folders in the file when being inserted or withdrawn therefrom.In cases Where the folder is designed so that the fastener is adapted tobe inserted through an infolded flap portion to thereby cover andprotect the head of the fastener by interposing it between the back ofsuch iiap and the body of the folder, additional expense is incurred inthe manufacture of that type of folder, due to the fact that thegenerally square or rectangular outline of the folder is departed fromthus requiring additional paper stock.

The object of the present invention therefore is to provide a folder orfile wrapper so constructed that it will accommodate the forms offastening devices now on the market for attaching papers together orwithin such a folder, without causing portions of such fastening devicesto be exposed on the outside of the folder, and without requiring thebody of thefolder to be made in an unusuall shape which under ordinaryconditions requires additional stock.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a fo-lder or filewrapper with one or more tab portions capable of selective projectionfrom the body of the folder whereby a fastening device or element may bepassed through said tab portion or portions when the tab portion orportions have been folded back to thereby interpose the head or backportion of the fastening means between the back of the tab and the bodyof the folder so that the head or back o-f said fastening element isthereby protected and is not exposed on the outside of the folder.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such tab portionsin such spaced relationship that such tabs as are required for differenttypes of fastening devices may be selectively used and also wherebypapers or documents within the folder may if desired be grouped and heldtogether in such groups by either similar or different kinds offastening devices.

(Cl. L29- 19) More particularly, the invention contemplates theprovision of a folder having a body portion of any known kind whereinone or moresuitably positioned tabs are defined by weakened lines,thereby permitting any one or more of the tabs to be forced outwardlyfrom the body portion. and folded back to form a flap element throughwhich one or more fastening devices may be inserted, with the head orback portions of such fastening devices interposed between the iiapelement and i the body of the folder and thereby prevent any exposureexternally of the folder.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein, several embodiments of theinvention are shcwn,Fig. 1 is a face view of a folder or file wrappermade in accordance with the invention, showing the same opened out at todisclose the tab; formation; Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a portionof the body of the folder, showing one of the tabs pushed inwardly; Fig.3 isl a sectional View through a part member I and integrally attachedbody porti-on 2, f

these elements being divided by the conventional fold line 3. In foldersof this character, any papers or documents attached to the le areusually secured to the body portionv 2 or to the inside of the covermember I by means of fasteners of the pronged type which causes the headof the fastener to be exposed on the outside of the file and thusinterferes with the insertion of the file in a crowded file cabinet, andoften damages adjacent files in the cabinet when the file bearing thefastener member is forced in place or forcibly withdrawn. In theembodiments of my invention shown, the fastener members, instead ofbeing inserted through the body of the folder in such a manner as topresent parts of the fastening member on the outside of the folder, areinserted through tabs, examples of which are shown at 4, 5 and 'l inFigs. 1 to 3 inclusive. The shape, number of tabs and the location ofthe same in the body portion of the folder, or on the cover flap also ifdesired, is dependent upon the uses to which the folder is to be placedand the contents which it is intended to receive.

In Fig. 1 the body portion 2 is shown as being provided near its upperedge with several spaced tabs indicated at 4 and 5. The tabs areinitially formed in the body portion by being dened by weakened lines,so that when any selected tab or tabs is required, it is forced inwardlyas shown by the arrow in Fig. 2, and then folded back on the line 6. Inuse, the tab folded inwardly as just explained, overlies the inner faceI of the body portion and a fastener member is thrust through the tab sothat the head or base 9 of the fastener member isl disposed between theback of the tab and the inner face I 0 of the body portion, as clearlyshown inv Fig. 3. To facilitate the insertion of the fastening membersthrough the tabs, said tabs may be provided with apertures such as shownat 2I. The prongs 8 of the fastener member pass through the le contentsor documents 20 to securely hold the same. When the fastener member islocated in the position sho-wn, it will be apparent that no portions ofthe fastener member are exposed on the exterior of the folder.

Since folders of this character are used for the reception of papers ofvarious kinds and sizes, and numerous kinds of fastener members areutilized for holding papers in the folder, means must be providedwhereby the folder will be flexible in its uses to enable it toaccommodate various filing situations. For example, when a simple,pronged paper fastener of the character shown in Figure 3 is to be used,and the papers to be held in the file are fastened only at a single,central position, a single, centrally located tab such as shown at maybe pushed out of the body of the folder and used. In a case where adoublepronged flat metal fastening device is to be used, two flaps suchas shown at 4 may be pushed out and utilized, these flaps being pushedforward out of the body of the folder when and. if needed, the fastenerinserted through them and the papers affixed in the usual way.

In Figs. 4 and 5, tabs I4, I5 and IS are arranged in staggered groups tomeet various filing requirements, such as for example, the filing ofpapers in separate groups. Thus, the tabs I4, or either of them, mayreceive at Il the group of papers indicated at I9, while the tab I5 mayreceive and hold the group shown at I3, and the tabs shown at I6 mayreceive another group.

At I in Fig. l is shown a plurality of adjacent tab portions, anyselected one or more of this group being capable of use when required.For example, selected tabs may be used from this group according to thespacing of binding holes provided in certain types of paper. The tabsplaced in group relationship as indicated at l, can also be used toreceive double-pronged fastening members wherein the prongs aredifferent distances apart in the different types of fasteners.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the size, shape, number andlocation of the tabs provided in the body of the folder is a matter ofling requirements. A single folder can be provided with an arrangementof tabs adapted to be selectively pushed out of the body of the folderwhen required, to suit almost every filing need. When tabs of this kindare provided in the body of the folder, no projecting part of thefastening element appears on the outside of the folder, and since thetabs employed are within the body of the folder and surrounded by thesame, the conventional square or rectangular formation of the sheet fromwhich the folder is formed is not departed from, and the folder canresultantly be made at a cost no greater than that at which the ordinarytype of folder is produced.

What I claim is:

l. A folder or le wrapper having a body portion forme-d with at leastone tab portion defined by weakened lines whereby said tab portion maybe forced on said weakened lines forwardly line of fold and said edgewhereby documents attached to the exposed face to the tab and extendingin a direction away from the edge near where the tab is located willoverlie and cover the opening formed in the body portion by theformation of the tab.

2. A folder or file wrapper having a body portion formed with anintegral tab forced out of the body portion to thereby form an openingtherein, said tab being inwardly folded upon the inner face of the bodyportion, a pronged fastening member extending through said tab andthrough file contents and having portions disposed between the back ofthe tab and the inner face of the file wrapper, said tab being sopositioned on the body portion that documents attached to the exposedface of the tab and extending across the top of the opening will bewholly contained within the folder and will overlie and cover theopening formed in the body portion by the formation of the tab.

MARCY GREEN.

